Message from the Executive Director
Dear students,
The Loeb Center team recognizes the specific employment and career advancement challenges faced by people of color and those who hold other marginalized identities, both in the wider professional world and within the scope of undergraduate career development and recruitment. Because of longtime systemic racism and other forces of inequity in our society, not all students enter Amherst with access to the networks they need to pursue their career interests. There are times when dominant expectations and norms in the workplace or in the recruitment process itself feel incongruent with student identities and values. People of color, and particularly Black and Latinx people, are significantly underrepresented among the senior ranks of many organizations across most career fields. As career development professionals, it is our responsibility to understand these and other dynamics, and to continually improve our own practices, education, and advocacy on behalf of the diverse student body we serve.
It is our priority to facilitate equitable access to employment opportunities, and to empower and equip all students to create rewarding professional lives with purpose. Who you are, and your dreams and goals, matter to us. We warmly invite you to engage with us through one-on-one advising, and through our robust programs and events throughout the year, in order to reflect on your skills, values, interests and goals and to craft a career planning approach that is totally unique to you. In addition to the support we can provide, Amherst alumni across a huge range of career fields and identities are often eager and motivated to connect with current students and share their expertise and connections. Loeb Center advising staff can coach you on how best to fully access and leverage this valuable asset.
There are also many external resources and opportunities specifically aimed at supporting professional development and employment opportunities with a diversity, equity and inclusion lens. Most industries are redoubling efforts to increase the diversity of their workforce and leadership, and that translates into an ever-growing range of recruitment and development opportunities. The Loeb staff has compiled a comprehensive guide to such resources on this page, and will curate and update the guide on an ongoing basis. We hope you will take advantage of these and other opportunities and sources of support available to you, and enlist us as your champions along the way.
Emily Griffen
Executive Director of the Loeb Center
